Uldis Pūcītis (15 April 1937 – 14 December 2000) was a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n television, theater and film actor, scriptwriter and film director.

Early life and stage career

Uldis Pūcītis was born in Ranka parish,

Gulbene District Gulbene District ( lv, Gulbenes rajons) was an administrative division of Latvia, located in the Vidzeme region, in the country's north-east. It was organized into a city and thirteen parishes, each with a local government authority. The main ci ...

to Jānis Pūcītis and his wife Anna Pūcīte. After graduating from school in Ranka he continued his studies in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...

and studied at the

Latvian State Conservatory Latvian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Latvia **Latvians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to what is modern-day Latvia and the immediate geographical region **Latvian language Latvian ( ), also known as Lettish, is an Easte ...

, graduating in 1959. Following his graduation, he worked as schoolteacher in the town of

Aizpute Aizpute (german: Hasenpoth) is a town in western Latvia's South Kurzeme Municipality in the valley of the Tebra River, northeast of Liepāja. History The territory of modern Aizpute was inhabited by ancient Curonians since the 9th century. St. ...

for four years while engaged at the

Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-f ...

Theater from 1960 to 1972, the Dailes Theater from 1964 to 1973 and the Youth Theatre from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1973 until 1992.

Film career

Pūcītis made his film debut in a small role as a fisherman in the 1959 Ada Neretniece-directed

Latvian language Latvian ( ), also known as Lettish, is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family, spoken in the Baltic region. It is the language of Latvians and the official language of Latvia as well ...

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

film ''Svešiniece ciemā'' (English release title: ''Stranger in the Village'') before his first starring role opposite Latvian actress

Vija Artmane Vija Artmane (born Alīda Artmane; 21 August 1929 in Kaive, Sēme Parish – 11 October 2008 in Strenči) was a Latvian theatre and cinema actress. Life and career Childhood Vija Artmane was born Alīda Artmane at the time when Latvia was a s ...

in the Leonīds Leimanis-directed period-drama ''Purva bridējs'', a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Latvian writer

Rūdolfs Blaumanis Kārlis Rūdolfs Leonīds Blaumanis (1863–1908) was a Latvian writer, journalist and playwright. He is a renowned writer in Latvian history and a master of realism. The building of a flat in Riga that he once lived has been converted to a mem ...

. He would go on to appear in a number of film and television roles throughout the 1960s and into the 1990s, as well as continuing his stage career. In 1998, Pūcītis would write the script and co-direct the television mini-series ''Izpostītā ligzda'' for

Latvijas Televīzija Latvijas Televīzija (''Latvian Television'', LTV) is the state-owned public service television broadcaster in Latvia. LTV operates two channels, LTV1 in Latvian and LTV7 (previously called LTV2) in Latvian with selected programming in Russia ...

(LTV) with Armands Zvirbulis. The film and both Zvirbulis and Pūcītis would be awarded the Lielais Kristaps; the highest prize awarded for Latvian cinema.

Personal life and death

Pūcītis was married to Olīvija Pūcīte (''née'' Poselanova). Their daughter is actress Milēna Gulbe-Kavace, and grandson is professional tennis player

Ernests Gulbis Ernests Gulbis (, born 30 August 1988, nicknamed "Lord", "The Gull" or "Ernie") is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schütt ...

. In late 2000, Pūcītis fell ill at his summer home in

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 49,325 in 2019 ...

. After being taken to the hospital in Riga, he was initially diagnosed with a stomach ulcer. However, he died in hospital of a

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...

and was buried at the Riga Forest Cemetery.kasjaunas.lv: ''Purva bridēja mīlestība. Atklāti stāsta Ulda Pūcīša sieva Olīvija''
in ( Latvian)

Selected filmography

*'' Es visu atceros, Ričard!'' (English: ''I Remember Everything, Richard'') (1966) - Edgars *'' Dead Mountaineer's Hotel'' (1979) - Inspector Peter Glebsky

Awards

* Latvian SSR State Prize (1989) * Lielais Kristaps (1998)

References

External links

*
Letonika.lv
1937 births 2000 deaths Latvian male stage actors Latvian male television actors Latvian male film actors Latvian film directors People from Gulbene Municipality Soviet male film actors Lielais Kristaps Award winners 20th-century Latvian male actors Burials at Forest Cemetery, Riga {{Latvia-film-director-stub